One of our favourite projects to manage each year is Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur. Aimed at 18 to 35-year-olds, this dynamic competition is run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) nationwide, and supported by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland.

We now know who the 24 finalists are who are en route to the National Finals in Google on 4th March. The last of the 8 Regional Finals took place on 26th January and the die was cast. From there, the excited finalists traveled to Athlone this week to meet with IBYE Project Manager Con O’Donoghue and Producer Joe Keogh. They each recorded their piece to camera for the National Finals before having great photos taken for the brochure.

Filming days have also been a brilliant opportunity to get to meet each of the finalists and hear all about their business. As IBYE Project Managers, we’ll take care of the 24 finalists from now until the National Finals, collating Business Plans for the Judges, managing Pitch Training, co-ordinating Judging Day and planning and managing a fabulous celebration of entrepreneurship at Google.

We look forward to showcasing them and their businesses, to giving them and their colleagues, LEOs and families an opportunity to celebrate their achievements and their potential. Between them they are creating employment across the country, inventing, innovating, exporting and expanding Ireland’s horizons. Ireland’s future relies on innovative young people with the ideas and the tenacity to make those ideas into a reality. It’s no wonder we love to work on this project. It truly is inspiring to work with them in this competition and we wish all 24 of them the very best in the weeks ahead.

Meet the National Finals and find out how they get on in the competition by following on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube or visit www.IBYE.ie.